The Most Comprehensive Guide to Slot Machines

Playing slots is fun, but with spinning reels comes a lingo that new players might not understand. To help you look like a pro (or at least more experienced), we created a comprehensive glossary of the most common terms used in slots gaming. Show everyone that you can both walk the walk and talk the talk when it comes to slot gaming.

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3D slot - a slot machine with 3D graphics that tend to be pretty realistic

3-Reel Game - a game played with 3 slot machine barrels

5-Reel Game - a game played with 5 slot machine barrels

A

Active payline - a payline you have placed a bet on

Autoplay - the option of letting the game spin the reels for you

Auto Spin - A feature that allows the player to spin the wheel automatically.

B

Bank - A row of machines that are generally themed and are put side by side

Bar - symbol characteristic for simple slot machines

Basic Slot Machine - a game with usually 3 reels and no extra features

Bet - the total amount you stake

Bet Per Line - the amount wagered per active payline

Bet Per Spin - bet per line multiplied by active paylines

Bet Max - the maximum amount you can wager

Bet Min - the minimum amount you can stake

Big Win - a significant amount won on a single spin

Bonus Features -  additional elements to the game that enable you to win better prizes

Branded Slots – games created in collaboration with different brands, e.g. musicians, movies, etc.

Buy Feature - the option to purchase a bonus feature 

C

Cascading Win - when you achieve a win, winning symbols are removed and replaced with new ones, thus allowing you multiple wins on a single spin

Certified Slot - a slot that was tested and approved by authorities

CICO - abbr. for ‘Coin in, Coin out’, maintains track of the coins that enter and exit the machine

Classic Slot - a name used for simple slot machines with 3 reels

Coin-Free Gaming - when a machine pays in tickets, vouchers or cards instead of physical coins and chips

Cherry Slot - another name for a classic slot

Coin Size - the amount you need to play a slot machine

Comp Points - complimentary points given to loyal customers that are regulars at a casino

Credits - money converted for playing purposes

D

Demo - mode of the game that requires no real money bets yet offers the same features and experience

Denomination - the value of credit in your slot machine

Doubles - also known as stacks, are the same symbol in two or more adjacent positions on a single reel

E

Edge - the advantage the casino has over its players

EGM - abbreviation for an electronic gaming machine, aka slot

Expanding Wilds - a symbol that can cover multiple positions, thus increasing your chances of winning

F

Feature - an addition to the base game that usually enables higher chances for a payout

Fixed Jackpot - a jackpot that has a set amount it can reach

Free Play - the same as demo mode

Free Spins - a feature in which a player gets to spin reels at no additional costs but with a chance of real money wins

Fruit Machine - the same as classic slots or cherry slots

G

Games Per Hour - the rate that tells you how many spins you made in an hour

Gamble Feature - the playing option that allows you to play a simple game with recent winnings, with 50:50 chances

H

Hit - a winning spin

Hit Rate - your chances of achieving a win

Hit and Run - style of gaming in which you often switch back and forth between slot machines

Hot Slot - a slot that is on a roll and supposedly pays often

High Volatility - a game that pays less frequently, but when it does, the prize is more substantial

I

Instant Win - cash prize

Icons - symbols on the reels

J

Jackpot - a substantial prize triggered at random or by achieving a special sequence, not available on all slots

L

Lever - the part of the machine used to spin the reels

Line Bet - the same as active payline

Low Volatility - when the slot plays small amounts, but more often

M

Medium Volatility - when the game pays both small and big wins at the same frequency

Mega Moolah - one of the most popular progressive jackpot slots on the market

Megaways - gaming mechanism with an increased number of paylines

Multi-level Jackpot - jackpot prize with a couple of levels, each of a different amount

Multiplier - a bonus feature that enhances your win

N

Nickel slot - the same as classic slot or cherry slot

Nudge - a feature that allows you to move reels one position, up or down

O

One-liner - game with a single reel

Online Slots - slot machines played on the internet, at online casino sites

P

Payline - the winning pattern

Paytable - list of all the payouts you can achieve

Penny slot - the same as a nickel slot or cherry slot

Pick to win - a bonus game in which you have to choose between multiple options, each hiding a different prize

Pokies - Australian term for slot machines.

Progressive Jackpot - a jackpot that grows with every hand played

Progressive Slot - a game with a progressive jackpot

R

Reels - barrels in a slot machine

RNG - the algorithm that determines the outcome of every single spin, random number generator

Royal Symbols – J, Q, K and A card symbols

RTP - the expected return for the player

S

Scatter - a special symbol that often activates special features and bonus rounds

Selected Lines - lines you have chosen to bet on

Skill Game - a game that requires skills and knowledge, as opposed to just luck

Slingo - a crossover game of slots and bingo

Slot Club - a special club for slot gamers with special benefits and rewards

Signature Slot - a proprietary slot machine

Slot Tournament - a competition in playing slot machines

Spin - a single round played on a slot

T

Take - an assumption that a slot machine has a pay cycle after enough bets have been placed

Taste - a small win that convinces you to keep on playing

Ticket - a printed ticket you use to cashout at the casino cage

Tilt - game malfunction

Total Bet - the amount of bets you placed on a single machine

Trail - a bonus feature with multiple levels

V

Volatility - a term that describes how often and how much the game pays

Video Slot Machines - games that feature screens with virtual reels rather than mechanical ones

VR - virtual reality games that require special headsets 

W

Ways to Win - paylines

Well - the well where the coins will land after you hit a win

Wild - a special symbol that can substitute others, to bring bigger wins, or activate features

Winning Combination - a set of symbols that guarantees a win

Win Both Ways - when the payline is read both from left to right, and right to left

Z

Zigzag - a winning pattern that changes course and is not a straight line